Our Lady of Salvation Shrine in Tiwi Albay
"The family that prays together, stays together"
December 28, 2008
Every year, panata na ng family namin ang magsimba all together sa Tiwi Church, which is about 50 km from Legazpi City, for the feast of Sagrada Familia. This is our covenant to God in order for our family to renew our vows na i-treasure ang pagmamahalan at i-maintain namin ang closeness sa isa't-isa. This is one way also to ask blessings and guidance from God. May mawala o may madagdag man, rain or shine, may pera o wala, our family sees to it hindi namin papalampasin ang taon-taong panata na ito.
Sabi nga ng father ko, kailangan yong madagdag sa family namin can spare one day, which is the last Sunday of the year, para sumama sa church visit sa Tiwi Albay.
We left our house at about 7:00pm. Kompleto ang family namin - my sister's family and her children, my mother, my brother's wife and kids, my brother at sumama na rin yong boyfriend ng pamangkin ko, minus my brother who was not able to come home from Riyadh.Although malakas yong ulan, still hindi kami nagdalawang isip na ituloy ang taunang panata namin sa Sagrada Familia.
We arrived in Tiwi at 9:00pm and the next mass started at 9:30pm.
I know with our prayers, our family will continue to be close to each other, magiging maganda ang dating ng bagong taon at mananatili ang love and continuous blessings sa loob ng family.
After the mass and novena by my mother, we proceed to DJC Halo-halo & Snack Inn which is just at the back of Tiwi Municipal Hall, to dine and eat the most delicious halo-halo na kilala sa buong Bicol and even recognized by prominent people and some celebrities. Ito yong sinasabi na hindi kompleto ang trip mo sa Tiwi kung hindi mo matitikman ang the best halo-halo in the Philippines. Sa katunayan dinayo pa ito ng mga celebrities like Gloriz Diaz, Boy Abunda, Aga Muhlach, etc., during their trip to Bicolandia. Aside from the Tiwi Hot Spring, nakilala din ang town na ito dahil sa famous DJC Halo-halo.The last time i ate DJC Halo-halo it cost 30.00, pero now it costs 45.00.
Kahit malakas ang ulan, halos puno ang restaurant so we waited for minutes bago ma accommodate. As usual, ang sarap pa rin ng halo-halo nila which made me to order for another glass. The last time i was there, nalaman ko kung ano ang sekreto nito, which i tried to imitate back home, pero hindi ko pa rin magaya ang lasa. Iba pa rin.
On their wall, andoon yong framed-newspaper article sa Philippine Inquirer featuring the restaurant. Habang hinihintay namin yong order, binasa ko yong article and from there i learned na may gustong bumili ng franchise and the recipe worth millions pero hindi sila pumayag. The owner, who is a lay minister of Tiwi Church, was interviewed at sinabi niya na it was his relation to God and good customer service kung bakit naging famous yong halo-halo nila. Aside from all natural ingredients daw, God is thier Cashier, their chef and the Master of all. They started 1988 with a capital of 2,000, and now, napagtapos na nila ang lahat ng kanilang anak at nakabili na rin sila ng malaking bahay at kotse. They owe everything to God.
We went home at around 3:00 pm. And i am hopeful na God will always be with us and present sa aming family. Anumang darating problema, at nasaan man kami, mapalayo man kami sa isa't-isa, He will continue to make our lives better at hindi mawawala ang pagmamahal at closeness namin sa family.
